Schmarotzer, ein Lebewesen (Tier oder Pflanze), das in oder an einem anderen Partner (Wirt) lebt u. sich auf dessen Kosten ernährt.
ETYM French, from Latin parasitus, Greek parasitos, lit., eating beside, or at the table of, another; para beside + sito wheat, grain, food.
An animal or plant that lives in or on another and from which it obtains nourishment.
Organism that lives on or in another organism (called the host) and depends on it for nutrition, often at the expense of the host’s welfare. Parasites that live inside the host, such as liver flukes and tapeworms, are called endoparasites; those that live on the exterior, such as fleas and lice, are called ectoparasites.